Published: Thursday, February 7, 2013 at 10:01 a.m.

Last Modified: Thursday, February 7, 2013 at 10:01 a.m.

Violent crimes in the city of Spartanburg are down for a fifth consecutive year, according to data released by Public Safety leaders during the annual report breakfast Thursday morning.

Data was presented by multiple facets of the Public Safety Department, including police and fire.

There were 476 incidents of murder and non-negligent manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery and aggravated assault in 2012 — down 14 percent from the previous year and 30 percent over a 10-year stretch.

The broader category of "index crimes," which includes murder and non-negligent manslaughter, robbery, forcible rape, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny/theft, motor vehicle theft and arson, was down roughly 4.6 percent from 2011 to 2012 and more than 46 percent over the last 15 years.

Public Safety Director Tony Fisher stressed the importance of making crime statistics available to the community each year and gathering stakeholders to review any changes.

"Everybody here plays a vital role in this," Fisher said of the city, business, school, nonprofit and other community leaders gathered at Indigo Hall for the event. "… We as police officers with guns are one of the spokes in the wheel, but we're not it. We're not going to make this community great. We're going to be there for the emergency and working with folks and doing prevention, and that's what's key."

Crimes against persons were down nearly 9 percent from 2011 to 2012, while property crimes decreased by roughly 3 percent.

Last year, the city investigated three homicide cases, including one homicide by neglect. That's down from six the previous year.

The report shows 19 forcible rapes in 2012, 125 robberies, 330 aggravated assaults and 15 arson incidents. Officials noted a roughly 14 percent uptick in the number of larcenies (2,297 total) throughout the city, saying that the number of shoplifting incidents in 2012 was the highest recorded in a 10-year span. Shoplifting incidents alone increased more than 48 percent from 2011 to 2012.

The number of burglaries dropped by 32 percent, from 703 in 2011 to 476 last year. Of the reported burglaries, 85 percent were residential and the rest commercial.

Master Patrol Officer Chris Banks, a burglary reduction specialist, said the lower numbers are the culmination of a concerted effort since 2009. He said that officials have been working closely with the community to raise awareness.

"We pushed the idea of the public being the eyes and ears of law enforcement," Banks said. "We can't be anywhere 24/7, and you live in the neighborhood … The community started watching for themselves, and whenever they saw something called in."

Motor vehicle thefts were down by 57 percent to 96 incidents in 2012. Drug arrests increased by 12.6.

Fire Chief Marion Blackwell said there was one fire fatality reported last year, down from two the year before.

Blackwell noted that the department responded to 2,073 fire incidents last year — a 7 percent decrease compared to the previous year. He attributed the drop to the department's outreach and prevention activities in the community.

<p>Violent crimes in the city of Spartanburg are down for a fifth consecutive year, according to data released by Public Safety leaders during the annual report breakfast Thursday morning.</p><p>Data was presented by multiple facets of the Public Safety Department, including police and fire. </p><p>There were 476 incidents of murder and non-negligent manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery and aggravated assault in 2012 — down 14 percent from the previous year and 30 percent over a 10-year stretch.</p><p>The broader category of "index crimes," which includes murder and non-negligent manslaughter, robbery, forcible rape, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny/theft, motor vehicle theft and arson, was down roughly 4.6 percent from 2011 to 2012 and more than 46 percent over the last 15 years.</p><p>Public Safety Director Tony Fisher stressed the importance of making crime statistics available to the community each year and gathering stakeholders to review any changes.</p><p>"Everybody here plays a vital role in this," Fisher said of the city, business, school, nonprofit and other community leaders gathered at Indigo Hall for the event. "… We as police officers with guns are one of the spokes in the wheel, but we're not it. We're not going to make this community great. We're going to be there for the emergency and working with folks and doing prevention, and that's what's key."</p><p>Crimes against persons were down nearly 9 percent from 2011 to 2012, while property crimes decreased by roughly 3 percent.</p><p>Last year, the city investigated three homicide cases, including one homicide by neglect. That's down from six the previous year.</p><p>The report shows 19 forcible rapes in 2012, 125 robberies, 330 aggravated assaults and 15 arson incidents. Officials noted a roughly 14 percent uptick in the number of larcenies (2,297 total) throughout the city, saying that the number of shoplifting incidents in 2012 was the highest recorded in a 10-year span. Shoplifting incidents alone increased more than 48 percent from 2011 to 2012.</p><p>The number of burglaries dropped by 32 percent, from 703 in 2011 to 476 last year. Of the reported burglaries, 85 percent were residential and the rest commercial.</p><p>Master Patrol Officer Chris Banks, a burglary reduction specialist, said the lower numbers are the culmination of a concerted effort since 2009. He said that officials have been working closely with the community to raise awareness.</p><p>"We pushed the idea of the public being the eyes and ears of law enforcement," Banks said. "We can't be anywhere 24/7, and you live in the neighborhood … The community started watching for themselves, and whenever they saw something called in."</p><p>Motor vehicle thefts were down by 57 percent to 96 incidents in 2012. Drug arrests increased by 12.6.</p><p>Fire Chief Marion Blackwell said there was one fire fatality reported last year, down from two the year before. </p><p>Blackwell noted that the department responded to 2,073 fire incidents last year — a 7 percent decrease compared to the previous year. He attributed the drop to the department's outreach and prevention activities in the community.</p>